Never Let Go
by nordic.sun
Summary: All Ginny was looking for was a secret of Hogwarts, but she also discovers love along the way. Please R&R!
1. Remember

I. Remember

Draco Malfoy lay on his bed, staring at the blank ceiling. His room at the Malfoy Manor was pitch black, except for the minimal amount of moonlight seeping through the drawn curtains. As he lay motionless he heard the wind rustling through the trees and the crickets chirping their beautiful songs. Through the open window came the subtle scent of roses and honeysuckle. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. He remembered her light brown eyes and her beautiful smile. He remembered stroking her soft ginger hair. He got up and walked to the window. He drew back the curtains and looked up at the star filled sky. The moon illuminated the darkness. At that moment, a shooting star flew across the night sky. As he stood there, he wished that he could see her again.

Little did he know, Ginny Weasley wished upon the same shooting star that she could see him again. It was nights like these, when the stars are out and there's a gentle breeze, that makes it hard for her to fall asleep. She stared out the window of her room at the Burrow. The apple trees swayed with the breeze while an owl cooed in the distance. She couldn't help but think of his pale blond hair and his ice blue eyes. She remembered his cherry red lips and how good it felt for them to be pressed against hers. If only she could see him one more time. But at the moment, memories were all she had. Tonight reminded her of a particular memory, that first night on the balcony….


	2. The Legend

II. The Legend

*flashback to book six*

It was a hot day towards the end of May. Sunlight poured through the open window and into the dimly lit classroom. At the front of the classroom, Professor Binns floated inches above the ground while writing on the worn out chalkboard.

I sat there, staring out the window. I could see owls flying through the Forbidden Forest and soaring over the Black Lake into the mountains in the distance. I looked at the clock above the door. 3:30. I sighed. Only a half hour left of boring History of Magic. I looked around the room and saw that no one was paying any attention to Professor Binns' lecture on the founders of Hogwarts.

Across the room, my roommates Jessica McDonald and Laura Watson were passing notes to each other. By their giggling I could tell they were probably talking about our fellow Gryffindor, Sean O'Malley, who they found to be "the hottest guy in the wizarding world!" All the other Gryffindors and Ravenclaws in the class were doodling or sleeping. The only person who seemed mildly interested in Professor Binns' discussion was my best friend, Luna Lovegood.

She just sat there, listening intently about the lives of the four founders. She seemed to be very fascinated by the day's topic. Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to listen in on the lecture. In his dull, monotone voice, Professor Binns was explaining about the children of the founders.

"All of the children of the founders went to Hogwarts when the school first opened. The only child that is remembered today is Helena Ravenclaw. She is well known as the Grey Lady or the ghost of Ravenclaw house. Little is known about Helga Hufflepuff's daughters Rosalind and Catherine. Not much is known about the offspring of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. However, there are rumors. Legend says that Genevieve Gryffindor and Decius Slytherin were secretly lovers. They supposedly set up a meeting place near the kitchens where they could see each other without anyone knowing. Of course this is all just talk. Let's move on to the years after the founders…."

I sat there pondering what he had just said. _That's so romantic that they had a secret meeting spot! I wonder if that's really true_....

After the bell rang, I jumped out of my seat and rushed over to Luna's desk. "So what did you think of Binn's lecture?" I inquired.

"I thought it was fascinating!" she said, beaming. "I'm quite interested in the founders. You know, daddy is going to try to recreate the lost diadem of Ravenclaw!"

"I thought the part about Gryffindor's and Slytherin's kids was cool. Do you really think that there is a room that they met at?" I asked her.

"Ginny…" a voice said from behind me. It was Jessica, followed by Laura. "Were you actually listening to the crap Binns said? He doesn't even know that he's dead!"

"No," I lied. "It sounded too crazy to be true."

Laura and Jessica walked away laughing. Luna turned toward me and said airily, "I believe they were in love. You know, love always occurs between the heirs of enemies."

I smiled. At that moment, I knew she was right. I decided maybe while everyone was at dinner, I'd try looking for this mysterious room. There would be no harm in trying.


	3. Search and Discovery

III. Search and Discovery

*flashback continued. Sorry this flashback takes up a few chapters but it's important!!*

"Hey Ginny!" I looked behind me and saw Hermione Granger, closely followed by Harry and Ron.

"Oh, hi Hermione!" I replied. They sat down in the armchairs next to mine in the noisy and crowded Gryffindor common room.

"Are you going to supper with us?" she inquired.

"No, I've got a lot of studying to do for O.W.L.S." I lied.

"Good for you!" she beamed. "If you keep up the studying you will get excellent marks!"

"Would you like for me to stay here and help you study?" Harry asked.

"No!" I shouted. "I mean, no, it's alright. I think I'll be fine by myself. I might be at dinner later. You guys go along," I said, calmer.

"Alright, we'll see you later," said Hermione.

The three of them walked out of the common room. A few minutes later, after the common room was clear, I left. As I made my way down to the entrance hall, I could hear the voices of hundreds of people talking and enjoying the company of their friends. I thought to myself, _this is stupid. Just go to dinner. You aren't going to find anything. You don't even know what you're supposed to be looking for!_ But instead of turning into the Great Hall, I went down a dimly lit corridor. I still had a gut feeling that something exciting was going to happen.

As I continued down the hallway, I saw the portrait of the bowl of fruit, where the kitchens are hidden. I could hear the thousands of house elves preparing dinner. Up ahead, the corridor turned left. As I turned the corridor, I ran into the one person I had least expected to see. Draco Malfoy.

"Weasley! Watch where you're going! Wait, what the hell are you doing down here?" he demanded.

"That's a question I was about to ask you." I told him.

"I have prefect duty. You still haven't answered my question."

"Sorry Malfoy, but it's none of your business what I'm doing here," I said.

"Well I might just have to report you for being down here," he said sharply.

"You can't do that!" I said. "It's not after hours and even if you did I would set another bat-boogey hex on you again. Remember how fun that was?"

The smirk disappeared from his face. "Ok. If I promise not to bother you, can you at least tell me why you are down here?" he asked.

"Fine," I said. "I'm looking for the secret meeting place of Genevive Gryffindor and Decius Slytherin. You know, the children of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Well they met in a secret room somewhere down here and I have this gut feeling that it exists and so I'm trying to find it."

He burst out in laughter. "You actually believe that something like that actually exists? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

"Well I think it does! I'm going to prove you wrong Malfoy!" I yelled at him.

"You know what, I'm going to go along with you to see if you find your special room," he said.

"Fine! Let's go!" I said defensively.

We walked down the hallways, looking at the portraits and seeing if they had any secret connection to Gryffindor or Slytherin. The corridors twisted and turned so many times, we had no clue as to where we were anymore. After about an hour, we reached a dead end.

Malfoy turned to me with a huge grin on his face. "What did I tell you, Weasley? It was just some stupid myth."

As I was about to respond, I noticed the portrait to the left of him. There was a beautiful woman with flaming red hair and dressed in crimson and gold robes sitting at a desk next to a balcony that overlooked the lake. With his hand on her shoulder was a tall man with pale blond hair who wore silver and dark green robes.

I stared at it for a moment and then turned to Draco. "It's them," I whispered.

He looked at the portrait and said faintly, "You're right, it is. It's here. I can feel it too."

"Why aren't they moving like a normal portrait?" I asked him.

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe so no one would ever find out. But how do we get in?"

I thought about it for a minute. "Well, they probably had some secret password. Something only the two of them knew. I mean, they were the ones in love."

At that moment, the portrait creaked open. "I guess love was the key after all," he said smiling. "Let's go in." He went in first so I followed him. Inside the portrait was a dark room. On the perimeter of the walls were shelves full of ancient-looking books and strange magical artifacts. A few feet from the entrance were some steps that led down to a level which contained a wooden desk just like the one seen in the portrait. There were two couches, one ruby red one, the other emerald green, on either side of the stairs. The windows were covered by black curtains and there was a set of French doors that led out to a balcony.

"This is incredible," I said in amazement. Draco just stood there with a look of astonishment on his face. I went down the steps and opened the doors.

The night was warm but there was a slight breeze coming from the grounds. The smell of roses and honeysuckle permeated the air. The edge of the stone balcony was covered in beautiful red roses. The view was spectacular. The Black Lake was sparkling in the light from the full moon and the stars up above. You could see the mountains and the Forbidden Forest towering in the distance.

I stood there in amazement, gazing at the stars. Draco came up beside me and looked out into the distance. The moonlight illuminated him in a silvery glow. In the pit of my stomach, I got this feeling, like butterflies were fluttering, when I looked at him. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I said breathlessly.

He said nothing. He slowly turned his head to look at me. His ice blue eyes stared into mine. He finally said, "Ginny…" and leaned his head towards mine. His lips gently pressed against mine. As he moved away, I stared at him in disbelief.

Then I ran.

*flashback ends*


End file.
